Play-In and First Round Pairings Determined for 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Tournament

NewsMay 1, 2013

Two Play-in Matches will be Contested on May 7; Seventeen First Round Fixtures to be Played on May 14, Setting New Record for Games on a Single Day in Modern Era of Tournament

CHICAGO (May 1, 2013) – The play-in round and first round pairings of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – the centennial edition of U.S. Soccer’s annual national championship – will be played during the first two weeks of May.

The two play-in matches between amateur clubs will take place on Tuesday, May 7, with the Colorado Rovers (U.S. Specialty Sports Association) hosting the Georgia Revolution (National Premier Soccer League) and Southern California-based FC Hasental (NPSL) heading north to face the Fresno Fuego Future (US Club Soccer).

A week later, the first round is set to open on May 14 and May 15 with 18 total fixtures to be played on those days. The first round will set a record for most Open Cup games played on a single day in the tournament’s modern era (1995-present), breaking the previous record of 16, set most recently in 2012. The two play-in round winners will be joined by 30 other amateur sides, including six other NPSL teams, 16 from the USL Premier Development League, and eight U.S. Adult Soccer Association regional qualifiers. Four Division III professional clubs from USL PRO complete the first round field.

The 2013 tournament features 68 teams, an increase from the 64 that competed last year, marking the largest field in the modern era (1995-present). This year also marks the second-consecutive year in which all U.S.-based Division I, II and III teams will participate in the tournament proper: 16 from Major League Soccer, six from the North American Soccer League and 12 from USL PRO. All Division II clubs and eight of the Division III sides will enter the competition in the second round. Division I teams receive a bye to the third round.

The amount of prize money distributed will also see a substantial increase, with the overall champion earning a total of $250,000 (up from $100,000 in recent years). The tournament runner-up will receive $60,000 (up from $50,000) and the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will win $15,000 (up from $10,000).

Another significant change for 2013 is the process for determining the site for the Open Cup tournament semifinals and final. In past years, the sites for the final three matches of the tournament had been determined through a sealed-bid process, but this year the hosts of those games will be determined by a coin flip. Home teams throughout the entire tournament will be determined by random selection.